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name
MC DONALD, William A - Date of
birth
1923 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Massachusetts -
Hometown
Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
11117390 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
Ball Turret Gunner -
Unit
705th Bombardment Squadron,
446th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
21 July 1944 - Place of
death
Auvergnepolder
Halsteren, The Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| L | 8 | 17 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Katherine McDonald (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-100315 -
Data
Type: B-24D
Nickname: Quivering Box
Destination: Munich, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the city
MACR: 7250
More information
Sgt William A. McDonald was a construction worker.He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States in Boston, Massachusetts on 18 November 1942.
The airplane was hit by flak on return flight. One engine caught fire immediately and another stopped. Soon after seven or eight men had bailed out and after the airplane had descended out of control to a few thousand feet below the formation, it blew up in mid-air.
Three crew members were taken prisoner, eight men were killed.
He was initially buried at the cemetery of Vlissingen, the Netherlands.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, NARA, Missing Aircrew Report 7250
Photo source: FOHF, "The History of the 446th BG" by Harold Jansen, Laura Mac Donald Cannon